


Old Horizons

by Lumelle



Category: Gundam 00
Genre: Amnesia, M/M, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 05:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tieria may have found something he thought to be lost forever. Of course, he wants to check this personally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Horizons

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my December project, in which I post one chapter and one one-shot each day up until the 25th.

It was still difficult to walk.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with his body. It was perfectly functional, that much had been established. The problem lay with him, unused as he was to be actually walking on two feet again, unused to moving and touching and feeling. He'd had a few days to get used to it, so the worst confusion with all the sensory input had passed, but he hadn't managed very much exercise, spending most of his time in a tiny starship.

Well. If this lead indeed was real, he wasn't going back to the computer anytime soon, so he'd better just bear it.

The colony was small and worn, the kind that clearly managed to just about support itself and its inhabitants. From what he had been able to find out from various databases, visitors to the colony were relatively rare, mainly some form of trading ships or travellers wanting to get out of their ships for a day or two before continuing their journey. As such, it wasn't that much of a wonder that he found numerous eyes on himself as he walked down the worn pathways.

Not a wonder, but it certainly made him feel even more awkward.

His plan had been clear when he'd set off, but now that he actually was here, he felt unsure on what to do. Obviously he needed more data, but he didn't know who to approach or what to ask. At least he'd had enough of foresight to take along a picture that he could show. That at least should bring some form of results. He'd seen the camera footage himself.

And if it wasn't real? If it was someone else?

Well. In that case, it was probably all for the better that he still didn't feel too much at home in this body.

A few children ran after him as he walked further along the streets of the colony, trying to get his bearings. They all seemed amazed at the appearance of a strange man in a strange uniform. He certainly stood out among the locals, all clad in neutral tones and casual clothes. Of course they were; this was their home.

He reached out a hand to pause a small girl running past him, then crouched down, meeting her curious eyes. "Excuse me, but where could I find someone to ask about things?"

"What kind of things?" She cocked her head, eyes wide and bright. Obviously, she had no worry in her life.

"Things that have happened on this colony." It wasn't that big of a place, the location was merely some hundreds. Surely anything significant would have made its way along the grapevine in no time whatsoever, and children tended to know who to hear stories from. "Like strange visitors."

The girl giggled. "You're a strange visitor, mister!"

"Exactly. So who could I ask about other strange visitors?"

"Are you looking for someone?" an older child cut in, a boy with messy hair.

"I suppose I am." He stood up again, looking at the boy this time. "A tall man with curly brown hair and an eye patch. He might have had clothes similar to mine."

"That sounds like Lando!" a third child exclaimed.

"Lando?" Well. It was better than nothing.

"Yup." The boy nodded. "Lando came here some years ago; a spaceship had picked him up. He was pretty hurt, but the doctor got him well again."

He swallowed. That sounded exactly right. "Does he look anything like this?" He dug out the picture, showing it to the kids.

"That's Lando!" the girl announced. "He really is strange!"

"I'd assume so." He smiled faintly. "Do you know where I could find him?"

"Yeah. After he got better, he's been staying at the doctor's place to help him with any patients. You want me to show the way?"

"If you would." His heart was starting to beat faster now, but he forced it to calm down. The last thing he needed was getting excited too early. That would just make the disappointment even worse.

The children continued to trail after him even as he followed the boy's lead. Apparently his search for this mysterious Lando had made him even more interesting. The adults glanced at him curiously as he passed by, but nobody said anything. Not to him, in any case. He was sure everyone in the colony would have heard of him before the day was out.

The paranoid part of him told him to leave, not to draw any more attention to himself. That, however, was not important right now. He didn't have to fear being recognised, not now. And even if there had been something to fear, it wouldn't have been even half as important as this.

It had been important enough for him to come in person, after all.

The doctor, and his wife, as the children informed him, lived in a big building, which he presumed also acted as a hospital. Thanking the children for their help, he managed to find a few sweets from his pocket, sending them off. Goodness knew where the sweets had come from. Anew had probably figured he might need some cheering up. As though a bit of sugar could make any difference.

Drawing a deep breath, he opened the door and walked in.

The atmosphere in the house was strange, a sort of mixture between a home and a waiting room. He was almost immediately greeted by a smiling, matronly woman, who hurried over to him, her face full of questions before she even spoke.

"My, who are you? And what are you doing here? Not to mean any offence, ma'am, we just rarely get any visitors here, you understand, so I --"

"It's fine." He saw her blink as he spoke. Well, his voice was probably the least feminine part of him. "I'm actually looking for someone. I was told someone called Lando lives here?"

"Oh, right, Lando!" She nodded. "Oh, yes, he lives with us. A good young man, always so helpful. It's so tragic, it really is, what's happened to him, but he's really bounced back since then. Do you mean you know him?"

"I quite hope so." He desperately wished so.

"Oh, he'll be so happy!" She beamed at him before turning around, hurrying to a door and shouting deeper into the house. "Lando! Oi, Lando! There's someone here to meet you! Someone who knows you!"

The following moments were perhaps the longest in his entire life, and he had been in tense situations before. At first there was nothing; then his ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. By the time he heard the voice, before anyone came to sight, his heart felt like it was about to stop in its tracks.

"Someone who knows me?" He knew that voice, knew every tone of it, knew how it sounded in jest and in sorrow and in anger. "What do you mean, Martha?"

"Oh, just come here and see!" She grasped the unseen man and dragged him through the doorway. "Here he is!"

He couldn't help but stare. After all these years, he hadn't been sure how well he remembered the face, had been afraid it might be difficult. Sure, he had the pictures, but it was still different from seeing the real thing. There had been changes, too; the hair was a bit longer, pulled back into a ponytail, the face a bit thinner, the whole body more angular. Nevertheless, it was all familiar, every bit of it. All of a sudden, he found words escaping him.

"...You." It was the other man who broke the silence first, staring at him with the exact same intensity. "I know you."

"You should." Somehow, he managed to keep his voice from cracking, but it certainly did waver. "Because I know you."

"I've seen you before." His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. "Been dreaming about you."

Now, he blinked. "Dreaming?" Something wasn't right here. "It's not just dreams. We've met before." So much more than just dreams.

"I can't... remember." Finally, their shared gaze was broken as the other man looked away. "Ever since coming here, I can't remember. Just fleeting images, figments, dreams. That and my name."

"I heard. They call you Lando." He swallowed. "That's not it, though, although it is close. Your real name is Neil. Neil Dylandy."

Neil blinked, looking at him again. "So that's where Lando comes from." He stepped closer, appearing hesitant. "And... you?"

"My name is Tieria." His voice was quiet, too; somehow, he almost feared that talking too loud would break everything. It was irrational, of course it was, yet he couldn't help it. "Tieria Erde."

"Tieria." It almost looked like he was tasting the name, trying out how it felt on his tongue, rolling it about. "That... sounds familiar."

"It should." He stepped closer as well, feeling inexplicably shy. "We are… friends."

"And you came to find me." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I did." For better or worse. "I… found a picture of you, from security camera footage. From this colony, that is. I had to come and see if it was true." Now it was his turn to look away. "We thought you were dead."

"I almost was." Another almost whisper. "True, I don't know much of what happened… just that I was picked up from space, badly injured. The ship brought me here, and Martha's husband patched me back together. Got me all in working order, too, except for the eye."

"Right." The eye. "We tried treating that, too, but it was… difficult. And then you, ah, disappeared." Why was this so difficult? It didn't make any sense. Why would he have felt so very hesitant?

"You said 'we' again." A clever observation. "Meaning you weren't the only one who knew me."

"No, I wasn't." Though he dared to think he had been the one it had struck the hardest. "There were others, too. Other friends of ours. Your brother, too."

"Brother." Neil's tone was one of amazement. "That… sounds like it might be true."

"It is. There are a lot of people who will be happy to see you again."

At some point, he noticed, the doctor's wife had slipped out of the room, doubtless to spread the word of how someone had come to meet Lando. That wasn't important, now. Only Neil was.

"Right." All of a sudden, there was a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He blinked, surprised.

"For not remembering." Neil looked almost sheepish. "I mean, there are little things here and there that sound familiar, but… it's not much."

"That's fine. It'll come to you eventually." It would have to.

"I hope so." Neil paused, then shifted his hand, this time tracing his fingertips along the side of Tieria's face. His touch was gentle, almost as though to make sure he was really there. "I've been dreaming about you all this time."

"You have?" Why would he have? "What kind of dreams?"

"I just knew I had to find you, that's all." Neil shook his head. "Even your name… I couldn't remember it." His expression took on a hint of regret. "I wanted to go out and find you, but a face alone isn't much to go by."

"That's why I had to come and find you." He had been dreaming, too. He hadn't even known that computers could dream. Trust this idiot to prove him wrong.

"And you succeeded." There was a hint of a smile, now. "You going to take me home?"

"Yes, I am." The one thing he hadn't even dared to dream of. "I will take you back home, Neil Dylandy."

"I think I like my name." Neil chuckled. "It sounds nice when you say it."

Finally, Tieria managed a small smile. "I'm just happy to be saying it again."

Right. Neil was here, the first and true Lockon Stratos was alive, and Tieria was going to take him home safe and sound and never allow the idiot to get himself killed again.

Anything else, they could solve.


End file.
